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14 Jun 2024

Executive Turntable: Sphere Goes Hollywood; Warner Chappell Ups A&R VP; BMG’s Excellent Choice

It’s time for another spin around the Executive Turntable, Billboard’s comprehensive(ish) compendium of promotions, hirings, exits and firings — and all things in between — across music. Don’t forget to dig into this year’s Indie Power Players list. We also have a weekly interview series spotlighting a single executive and a regularly updated gallery honoring many of the industry figures we’ve lost throughout the year.

Sphere Entertainment has turned to Hollywood studio veteran Carolyn Blackwood as its new head of Sphere Studios, which develops and produces the “multi-sensory entertainment experiences” for concerts, corporate events and more at the next-generation spherical wonder. At Sphere, Blackwood will lead a team of creative, production and other various wizards responsible for those immersive experiences, plus work closely with MSG Ventures on developing the production technologies needed to create them. Blackwood has more than 25 years of studio experience, and was most recently chief operating officer at Warner Bros. Pictures. Prior to WB, she spent 20-plus years at New Line Cinema, where she rose to president and chief content officer. Between those two studios, she was integrally involved with some of the biggest films of the last quarter-century, including The Lord of the Rings, The Hobbit, Barbie and The Conjuring franchise.

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“Throughout my career, I have focused on creative and business innovation in the entertainment industry, as well as the pursuit of production excellence, and this is a tremendous opportunity to be part of the cutting-edge work at Sphere,” said Blackwood. Sphere’s newly elevated president and COO Jennifer Koester added that she believe’s Blackwood’s “expertise bringing high-profile entertainment projects to life will be an asset as we continue to build on, and grow, the Studios’ capabilities.”

The creative team at Sphere also includes chief creative officer Ned McNeilage, who joined earlier this year. Since opening last year with a successful run of U2 shows, the Las Vegas megavenue has been in a jam-y mood with a four concert mini-residency by Phish and an in-progress 24-date residency by Dead & Company. An eight-date run by Eagles is scheduled for the fall.

Meanwhile…

Universal Music India and South Asia promoted Viral Jani to chief revenue officer. Jani joined UMGISA in 2023 as head of digital, strategy & transformation, having previously held senior positions at Times Network, GroupM and Twitter, among others. The promotion follows the May elevation of Sanujeet Bhujabal from evp of content to managing director of the Mumbai-based label division. “[The promotions of Bhujabal and Jani] reflects the company’s commitment to growth and development of one of Universal Music Group’s most important emerging markets,” noted Adam Granite, CEO, Universal Music Group AMEA. “Together they will work closely, alongside Chairman & CEO Devraj Sanyal and myself, to deliver our mission of creating the best music-based entertainment company in the region.”

Warner Chappell Music promoted A&R exec Jessi Vaughn Stevenson to vp, A&R and digital. Stevenson will continue reporting to Ben Vaughn, president/CEO WCM Nashville, as she strategizes opportunities for songwriters. During her career, Stevenson has worked with songwriters including Jessi Alexander, Rhett Akins, Parker McCollum, Hailey Whitters, Morgan Wallen and Randy Montana.  “Jessi has always shown commitment to songwriters, helping them with their craft and careers,” said Vaughn. “She is always thinking of new ways to support songwriters and is a wonderful team player. We’re happy to announce her promotion.” –Jessica Nicholson

APM Music elevated creative executive Adam Weitz from senior director to vp of TV and film sync. Weitz has spent the bulk of his 16-year sync licensing career — roughly 11-and-a-half years — at APM, a production music joint venture between Universal Music Publishing Group and Sony Music Publishing. During that time he and his TV/Film team has banked large-scale licensing deals with Hollywood studios, streaming platforms and others, and locked in placements with hundreds of films and shows, including recent wins in Oppenheimer, Succession, Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, Ted Lasso and more. He also spearheads APM’s sample clearance business, which has collaborated with Drake, Beck, The Black Keys and others. Weitz reports to chief revenue officer Chad Elbert and president Adam Taylor, who remarked, “His deep industry connections and unique blend of creative and licensing expertise have established him as one of the very best in the industry.” Prior to joining APM in 2013, the Los Angeles-based exec spent nearly five years in leadership at sync licensing house Visions from the Roof. Under the pseudonym Phofo, Weitz composed music for several animated shows including Sushi Pack, Care Bears and Club Penguin, and he co-produced the first studio LP by MC Paul Barman. Reach him at aweitz@apmmusic.com.

BOARD SHORTS: Furnace Record Pressing founder and former CEO Eric Astor was elected to the Vinyl Record Manufacturing Association‘s board of directors. VRMA works to advance the record manufacturing sector — in which Astor has been deeply invested since FRP’s 1996 founding. He recently transitioned to an advisor role at the Metallica-backed Virginia plant, with Ali Miller taking over as CEO in March … OpenAI (ChatGPT) appointed Paul M. Nakasone, the former head of the National Security Agency (NSA), to its board of directors.

BMG appointed Alexandra Behrens as senior vp of global people excellence, a most excellent way of saying she’ll oversee HR services and operations across the company. Behrens is sliding over from Bertelsmann sister company Gruner + Jahr (G+J), where she led the people management & services team during a 15-year run at the print publishing giant. “Alexandra’s leadership will be instrumental in driving our global HR initiatives and fostering a culture of excellence across all of our locations,” said BMG CHRO Nikola Holle-Spiegel, to whom she’ll report. BMG recently announced a fine-tuning of its frontline recordings business under Jon Loba.

Digital Media Association (DiMA) promoted Sally Rose Larson to senior vp of government and external affairs. Prior to joining DiMA in 2019 as the audio streaming trade group’s vp of government relations, the Georgia native served as legislative director and later deputy chief of staff to Rep. Doug Collins (R-GA), and was chief copyright advisor to House Judiciary Committee GOPers.

Reed Smith welcomed Jackson Abbeduto as counsel in its global entertainment and media industry group. Based in the lauded law firm‘s Century City, Calif. office, Abbeduto arrives following a year as counsel at Granderson Des Rochers. Prior to that, he spent nearly a decade at Universal Music Publishing Group and three years at YouTube as an executive. “Music is very important to our overall practice strategy, and considering our partner Gregor Pryor is the leading digital music lawyer in Europe, Jackson will have all the resources necessary to help us be on the forefront of advising clients in the US on all cutting-edge digital issues,” said Stephen Sessa, the co-chair of Reed Smith’s global entertainment and media industry group.

RADIO, RADIO: Cumulus Media promoted Kriston Aitken to chief human resources officer, taking over for a retiring Todd McCarty, who held the role for nine years. The HR veteran joined Cumulus in 2016 and was elevated to vp of Human Resources two years ago … Jose George and Olivia Morley joined advertising consulting firm Madison and Wall as senior analysts, according to Radio Ink … Samantha Melbourneweaver is joining NPR as managing editor/digital audience growth & engagement. She was previously the assistant managing editor of audience at the Los Angeles Times.

CAA promoted 15 employees, including Shayna Ehrlich to music marketing executive in the agency’s music touring department. She joined the firm in March 2019 as a music and comedy tour marketing assistant and later shed the laughs part of her workload. Prior to joining CAA, the NYC-based Ehrlich was in media strategy at iHeartMedia. THR has more details on the moves.

Hollywood-based publicist and former TV programmer Kiki Ayers launched My Best Kid Life, a new “daily guide on how parents and kids can live their best life” that will focus on wellness, nutrition, co-parenting and more, plus feature exclusive interviews with celebs discussing parenthood. Unique to MBKL is that all images used for the company are in the style of comic book, cartoon or anime. Pryor to this new venture, Ayers ran her PR firm Ayers Publicity and worked as an entertainment reporter. Earlier in her career, Ayers was a music programming manager at REVOLT and was in production at both MTV2 and The Jerry Springer Show.

ICYMI:

Richard Burgess

Richard Burgess

A2IM president and CEO Richard James Burgess telegraphed his exit from the indie label trade group … UTA hired ex-Ingrooves chief Bob Roback as COO … Downtown named Molly Neuman as president of its CD Baby arm … Jennifer Koester was promoted to president and COO of Sphere Entertainment … UnitedMasters hired Def Jam vet LaTrice Burnette as evp and head of music … and COLTURE‘s Ty Baisden was named executive of the year in Billboard‘s Indie Power Players list.
Last Week’s Turntable: TikTok Lawyers Up

14 Jun 2024

Jelly Roll Hangs Out With Sylvester Stallone on ‘Tulsa King’ Set: ‘I Can’t Believe This Happened’

Jelly Roll‘s single “Halfway to Hell” is a total knockout on Billboard‘s Country Airplay chart, so who better to celebrate with than Rocky? The singer-songwriter recently hung out with Sylvester Stallone on the set of Tulsa King, where they commemorated the singer’s fourth No. 1 hit on the ranking in a video posted by the legendary actor Thursday (June 13).

In the clip, Jelly and Stallone chat with crew members milling about behind them. The musician proudly tells the Rambo star about his latest feat — “Woke up on a bus in your parking lot with my fourth No. 1” — while the Golden Globe winner nudges him encouragingly.

“Fourth No. 1, unbelievable!” Stallone says, smiling.

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“Looks like the fantastic singer @jellyroll615 just rolled onto the Tulsa King set! #KeepPunching ?,” the actor captioned the video.

Resharing the post on Instagram Stories, Jelly marveled, “I can’t believe this happened.”

As noted by the Nashville native, “Halfway to Heaven” marks his fourth Country Airplay No. 1, with the track topping the chart dated June 15, 2024. It follows previous chart-toppers “Son of a Sinner,” “Need a Favor” and Lainey Wilson collab “Save Me.”

Stallone isn’t the only legend Jelly has rubbed elbows with in recent weeks. He also recently met Eminem ahead of their duet on NBC’s Live From Detroit concert special, for which the country star performed the “Dream On” sample used in the rapper’s “Sing for the Moment.”

“I was so nervous,” Jelly said about the performance in an interview with Howard Stern earlier this week. “It definitely wasn’t my best performance — you could see the nerves on my face. This song did a lot for me in dark moments of my life, too. I’m a lifelong fan. There’s not a white kid in the world who didn’t listen to Eminem rapping.”

“There’s not enough praises for him,” the ACM Award-winner added. “He’s inarguably the greatest rapper that ever lived, ever. You’re literally meeting the greatest at his craft.”

Watch Jelly Roll hang out with Sylvester Stallone below.

14 Jun 2024

Friday Music Guide: Normani, Tommy Richman, Luke Combs, Don Toliver & More

Billboard’s Friday Music Guide serves as a handy guide to this Friday’s most essential releases — the key music that everyone will be talking about today, and that will be dominating playlists this weekend and beyond. 

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This week, Normani’s debut album is at long last with us, as are new sets from Don Toliver and NxWorries, and a new Father’s Day-ready LP from Luke Combs. Check out all of this week’s picks below.

Normani, Dopamine



That’s right, everyone: We made it to Normani release week. After years of teases, delays and false starts, the 5H alum’s impossibly long awaited solo debut album Dopamine is finally here. The 13-track affair, featuring pre-release singles like the Cardi B teamup “Wild Side” and “1:59” with Gunna, is an impressively tight affair, with its biggest thrills including the Slim Thug sample (via Mike Jones’ “Still Tippin’”) on “Still,” the shredding guitar solo late in “Insomnia,” the skipping house beat on “Take My Time” and of course the Billboard shoutout on the album-opening “Big Boy.” Only her longtime fans can really determine whether the set was worth the wait, but it’s a welcome listen this Friday regardless.

Tommy Richman, “Devil Is a Lie”



If you’ve finally gotten your fill of breakthrough hit “Million Dollar Baby” — unlikely, given how the song is still hanging around the top five of the Billboard Hot 100 — breakout singer-rapper Tommy Richman is back this week with its follow-up. “Devil Is a Lie” is intoxicating in many of the same ways “Baby” was, with his buttery falsetto floating over clean, throwback-tinged trap-n-B beats, and a chorus hook (“I’m not no Travis, baby, not no Chase B/ I work too hard, can you f–kin’ pay me?”) that should do big business on TikTok. We’ll see whether it’s enough to disqualify Richman from one-hit wonder status in his first post-“Million” try, but it certainly sounds like another potential smash.

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Luke Combs, Fathers and Sons



Happy Father’s Day from Luke Combs! The country superstar announced his new album, Fathers and Sons, just a week ago, planning it for release just before the patriarch-celebrating holiday. The album, which was previewed last Friday (June 7) by the advance single “The Man He Sees in Me,” is a predictably emotional and heartfelt set of tributes to his two sons Tex Lawrence Combs and Beau Lee Combs, as well as to his own father, Chester Combs. Touching (and occasionally tear-jerking) stuff, of course — though some of us who prefer the less-sentimental version of Combs may stick to his booming Twisters: The Album soundtrack hit “Ain’t No Love in Oklahoma” when building our summer playlists.

Don Toliver, Hardstone Psycho



The Cactus Jack lieutenant is back with his fourth studio album of booming trap beats and piercing R&B vocals. Don Toliver‘s Hardstone Psycho is divided into four sections of four tracks each, and features the advance singles (and Billboard Hot 100 hits) “Bandit” and “Attitude” (featuring Charlie Wilson, Cash Cobain and a clever sample of Pharrell’s hook from Snoop Dogg’s “Beautiful”). Additional guests include Future and Metro Boomin on “Purple Rain,” label boss Travis Scott on “Ice Age” and Kodak Black on album highlight “Brother Stone,” while other inspired samples include a pitched-up Whitney Houston singing “Exhale (Shoop, Shoop)” on “Glock.”

Pharrell, “Double Life”



Pharrell plus the Despicable Me franchise always equals pure pop soundtrack gold, right? Maybe, though this new entry from the upcoming Despicable Me 4 film probably doesn’t quite sound like what you’d expect: “Double Life” rides a grungy guitar riff, sharp chorus harmonies and an action-packed bridge to maybe the most dramatically high-stakes Pharrell soundtrack single yet. “It doesn’t matter to you if you get heads or tails/ You just don’t like the flip all the time,” a double-tracked P belts on the chorus, sounding more like he’s trying to match “One Night in Bangkok” than “Happy.”

NxWorries, Why Lawd?



Yes, it’s the return of the other superduo featuring R&B critics’ darling Anderson .Paak. We haven’t gotten a full-length project from NxWorries, which pairs .Paak with underground favorite hip-hop producer Knxwledge, since 2016 — with .Paak also experiencing pop stardom in the interim as half of Silk Sonic with Bruno Mars. The new project Why Lawd? might not experience that level of chart-topping success, but it should be a joy for longtime fans of the producer and singer-songwriter — with its 19 tracks of chill grooves also soundtrack from big names like H.E.R., Earl Sweatshirt, Snoop Dogg and of course R&B legend Charlie Wilson, who appears to be absolutely everywhere in 2024.

14 Jun 2024

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul Considering Banning Face Masks In Subway

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People Wear Masks as Protection from Smoke in New York City

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Now that the COVID-19 pandemic is considered a thing of the past and people have resumed living their everyday lives as if the coronavirus has magically disappeared (it hasn’t), many people still wear face masks whenever going out in public to protect themselves from catching the dreaded virus.

But according to the Gothamist, that may no longer be an option for people taking public transportation as New York Governor Kathy Hochul is considering banning protective masks in the New York City subway system after videos of masked anti-Israel protestors causing a ruckus in a subway car earlier this week hit social media. In the video that made the rounds on the internet, masked pro-Palestinian protestors took to the 14th Street subway station and hopped on a train where they asked the riders to “Raise your hand if you’re a Zionist,” and if so “this is your chance to get out…”

We wonder if they would’ve jumped anyone who claimed to be a Zionist. Just sayin.’

Still, the video was enough for the New York Gov. to consider a partial ban on people wearing face masks on the train as anti-Israel protests continue to rise out in the streets of New York with some people looking to take their pro-Palestine views above and beyond their call of duty.

The Gothamist reports:

In a news conference at the state Capitol on Thursday, Hochul said she has started discussions with Mayor Eric Adams and state lawmakers about what a mask crackdown would look like and how to craft exemptions for health and religious reasons. The mayor’s office confirmed it was looking into the issue.

But Hochul made clear she wants to see mask restrictions in some form, which she believes would help deter crime on public transit.

“We will not tolerate individuals using masks to evade responsibility for criminal or threatening behavior,” Hochul said. “My team is working on a solution, but on a subway, people should not be able to hide behind a mask to commit crimes.”

During an appearance on the “Cats & Cosby” radio show Wednesday evening, Adams compared protesters who cover their faces to the Ku Klux Klan.

“Cowards hide their face,” the mayor said. “Dr. King did not hide his face when he marched and for the things he thought were wrong in the country. Those civil rights leaders did not hide their faces. They stood up. In contrast to that, the Klan hid their faces.”

While we’re all for a free Palestine and want a stop to the atrocities that’s going on in Gaza, it’s things like this that turn people off from the cause who may not even have an opinion on the matter.cNow people who religiously wear face masks on the train to keep from catching COVID might be upset that they can’t protect their health because of a protest they may not even be a part of.

No word on whether or not a face mask ban will actually happen but if things like this keeps happening, it’s only a matter of time before it does.

What do y’all think of Gov. Kathy’s proposed face mask ban? Let us know in the comments section below.

14 Jun 2024

ATEEZ’s ‘Golden Hour: Part.1’ Debuts at No. 1 on Top Album Sales Chart

ATEEZ scores its third No. 1 on Billboard’s Top Album Sales chart (dated June 15) as Golden Hour: Part.1 opens atop the tally with 127,000 copies sold in the U.S. in the week ending June 6, according to Luminate. That sum marks both the largest sales week for any K-pop album in 2024, and the year’s fifth-largest sales week among all albums.

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Also in the top 10 of the latest Top Album Sales chart: The Marias log its first top 10 with the No. 4 debut of Submarine, Crowder’s The Exile enters at No. 7, Shaboozey nets his first chart entry with the No. 8 start of Where I’ve Been, Isn’t Where I’m Going and Black Sabbath’s boxed set Anno Domini: 1989 – 1995 bows at No. 10.

Billboard’s Top Album Sales chart ranks the top-selling albums of the week based only on traditional album sales. The chart’s history dates back to May 25, 1991, the first week Billboard began tabulating charts with electronically monitored piece count information from SoundScan, now Luminate. Pure album sales were the sole measurement utilized by the Billboard 200 albums chart through the list dated Dec. 6, 2014, after which that chart switched to a methodology that blends album sales with track equivalent album units and streaming equivalent album units. For all chart news, follow @billboard and @billboardcharts on both Twitter and Instagram.

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Golden Hour: Part.1’s first week sales were largely powered by CD sales, as the set was available in 25 CD variants, along with six vinyl variants, all containing branded paper merch and other collectibles. It was also issued as standard digital download album.

Taylor Swift’s chart-topping The Tortured Poets Department rises 3-2 on Top Album Sales with 27,000 copies sold (down 35%), while Billie Eilish’s Hit Me Hard and Soft climbs 4-3 with 25,000 (down 39%).

The Marias score its first top 10 and largest sales week yet as Submarine starts at No. 4 with 17,000 copies sold. Its sales were supported by eight vinyl variants (which totaled 15,000 of its overall sales), a standard CD, a CD with an alternative cover, and a boxed set containing a T-shirt and a CD.

Twenty One Pilots’ Clancy falls 1-5 in its second week on Top Album Sales with 12,000 sold (down 90%) while TOMORROW X TOGETHER’s chart-topping minisode 3: TOMORROW is a non-mover at No. 6 with 8,000 sold (down 11%).

Crowder collects his fourth top 10-charting set on Top Album Sales as The Exile bows at No. 7 with 8,000 sold. In its first week, the album was issued as a standard CD, a signed CD and a standard digital download album.

Shaboozey scores his first entry on Top Album Sales, with his third album, as Where I’ve Been, Isn’t Where I’m Going debuts at No. 8 with nearly 8,000 sold (all from digital downloads). RM’s Right Place, Wrong Person falls 2-9 with just over 7,000 sold (down 83%).

Rounding out the top 10 is Black Sabbath’s boxed set Anno Domini: 1989 – 1995, which bows at No. 10 with 7,000 sold.

14 Jun 2024

J Balvin & More Latin Artists Share How Fatherhood Reshapes Their Music

J Balvin is among a group of Latin music artists who are raising toddlers while still continuing to yield global hits.

Balancing out the time he spends in the studio is the time he spends with his son Río, who was born in 2021. “I love going to the park with him, playing ball with him and seeing cartoons and being his best friend,” the Colombian hitmaker shares with Billboard. “I really enjoy sitting down and watching him, understanding his behaviors, what he says. It’s amazing what it does to me.”

Like Balvin, newer dads, including Maluma, have embraced fatherhood and the impact it’s had on their art and music. Maluma became a father in March and has since been sharing special bonding moments with his daughter Paris. “My first 15 days as a dad, this is the best I’ve ever lived in my life,” the “Según Quién” singer gushed on social media.

(See also our list of “20 Top Latin Songs for Father’s Day“).

Another artist who’s been candid about fatherhood is Christian Nodal, who became a dad in September when his daughter Inti was born. In March, the mariacheño singer shared with Billboard what it was like touring with a newborn: “I remember those times when I would come down from the stage and feel alone. Now, I come down to a stroller with my baby in it, and it all seems perfect. When she was born, I was feeling exhausted. I don’t know how I managed to change diapers, but she gives me energy, motivation and strength.”

With Father’s Day just around the corner — celebrated on Sunday (June 16) — new fathers in Latin music give us a glimpse into how much their lives have changed after becoming dads. Below, J Balvin, Mike Bahía, Pipe Bueno and more Latin music artists also share how fatherhood has expanded and deepened their creative process, in their own words.

Additional reporting by Ingrid Fajardo and Jessica Roiz.

14 Jun 2024

Grammys 2025: No New Categories, But 10 Rule Tweaks

For the first time in four years, the Recording Academy didn’t add to its list of categories for the 67th annual Grammy Awards, set for Feb. 2, 2005. There will be 94 categories for the second year in a row. There were 84 categories as recently as the Grammy telecast in 2021, but the number jumped to 86 in 2022, 91 in 2023 and 94 in 2024.

There were 28 categories in 1959, the first year of the awards. There were 47 (exactly one-half of the current total) in 1975. The number reached its all-time high (to date, anyway) of 110 categories in 2008 and 2009.

The academy also announced amendments that were passed at the semiannual board of trustees meeting. The meetings were held from May 22-24 in Laguna Niguel, Calif. All updates go into effect immediately.

The Recording Academy’s awards and nominations committee, comprised of academy voting members, meets annually to review proposals to update awards categories, procedures and eligibility guidelines. Their recommendations are ratified by the academy’s trustees.

The 67th annual Grammy Awards are set to take place Sunday, Feb. 2, 2025 at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles. Crypto, formerly known as Staples Center, has hosted all but four Grammy telecasts since 2000.

First-round voting, to determine the nominations, will be conducted from Oct. 4 to Oct. 15. Nominations will be announced on Friday, Nov. 8. Final-round voting to determine the winners will be conducted from Dec. 12 through Jan. 3, 2025. As is the academy’s usual practice, voting will conclude nearly a full month before the results are announced on the show.

The 67th annual Grammy Awards will broadcast live on CBS, the Grammys’ home network since 1973, and stream live and on demand on Paramount+.

Here are this year’s amendments to its 75-page Rules and Guidelines handbook. The first two rules are general; the remainder apply to specific categories.

14 Jun 2024

LL COOL J Makes His Return To Music With “Saturday Night Special” & X Salutes The Legend

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LL COOL J doesn’t need to prove himself as a rapper as he’s cemented in the annals of Hip-Hop history as one of the culture’s living legends. However, a spark still exists within the Queens star, and his new track “Saturday Night Special” featuring Fat Joe and Rick Ross proves that his comeback promises were not a fluke.

LL COOL J has been teasing his upcoming 14th studio album, The FORCE ((Frequencies of Real Creative Energy), with fellow Queens native Q-Tip executive producing the project.

Produced by Q-Tip, who also shows up on the hook, “Saturday Night Special” displays LL COOL J giving a grim warning about a tough street cat that you shouldn’t cross. Sounding invigorated, LL doesn’t appear to have lost any of the fire that he displayed over the 1980s and 1990s and finds an interesting pocket atop the A Tribe Called Quest legend’s airy production.

Rick Ross takes over for the second verse, sounding comfortable over the soulful boom-bap, and Fat Joe, no stranger to this type of bop, added his flair. Even better, all three MCs stick to the same common theme and each verse has its standout moments among them.

LL’s return to music was a long time coming as it has been over a decade since he’s lost put out a project. Fans were curious to know how LL would sound over Q-Tip’s production and the results are seemingly pleasing even to the most hardened online critics. Of course, there are your requisite detractors but that’s to be expected in the “keyboard kourage” era.

For now, check out the video for “Saturday Night Special” below and keep scrolling to see reactions from X, formerly Twitter.



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Photo: Getty

6. Can’t win ’em all.

10. This facts.

14 Jun 2024

Swifties Set Off Another ‘Swift Quake’ During Taylor Swift’s Shows in Edinburgh

The accent might be a bit different, but the one thing Scottish Swifties have in common with their American brethren and sistren is that they make the earth move under their feet. The British Geological Survey reported this week that seismometers around Edinburgh were triggered after mega-hyped fans at Taylor Swift‘s three Scottish Gas Murrayfield Stadium shows (June 7-9) last weekend registered earthquake readings up to four miles from the venue.

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“BGS monitoring stations around Edinburgh recorded seismic activity generated by the concerts,” read a post from the country’s national earthquake monitoring agency. “Each of the three evenings followed a similar seismographic pattern, with ‘…Ready For It?’ ‘Cruel Summer’ and ‘champagne problems’ resulting in the most significant seismic activity each night.”

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A more careful analysis of the seismograph data found that the most enthusiastic dancing took place on Friday night, though the BGS noted that “crowds on each night generated their own significant readings.” Not to worry, the scientists noted, “Whilst the events were detected by sensitive scientific instruments designed to identify even the most minute seismic activity many kilometres away, the vibrations generated by the concert were unlikely to have been felt by anyone other that those in the immediate vicinity.”‘

Some relevant data points from the BGS:

  • The activity was mainly generated by fans dancing in time to the music and reached its peak at 160 beats per minute (bpm) during “Ready For It?,” where the crowd was transmitting approximately 80 kW of power (equivalent to around 10 to 16 car batteries).
  • Based on the maximum amplitude of motion (the distance the ground moves), the Friday night event was the most energetic by a small margin, recording 23.4 nanometres (nm) of movement, versus 22.8 nm and 23.3 nm on the Saturday and Sunday respectively.
  • The BGS’s national network of monitoring stations recored as many as 300 naturally occurring earthquakes every year in the UK, with only 30 having a high enough magnitude to be felt by people. “Induced seismic events,” caused by human activity such as sonic booms, are also recorded.

The Scottish temblors followed on the heels of previous seis-Swift events in Seattle last July and in Los Angeles two months later. The earth shaking Friday show in Edinburgh also broke an attendance recording for Scotland, drawing more than 73,000, with Saturday and Sunday night’s gigs respectively upping the ante. The third gig set yet another all-time high, with Swift telling the crowd, “It’s been shockingly amazing in Edinburgh because every night I got to go on stage and they pulled me aside and said, ‘You know this crowd broke the all-time stadium attendance record for all of Scotland for all of time.’” The singer said the three shows drew a total of 220,000 fans.

14 Jun 2024

NE-YO Embarks on Independent Journey With ‘2 Million Secrets’ Single: ‘I’m Excited to Embrace This New Beginning’

When an artist has been around for 20 years and accomplished as much as NE-YO has, it’s tough to find new challenges in the music industry.

After two decades spent in the major label system split between Def Jam and Motown Records, Billboard can exclusively report that NE-YO is officially a fully independent artist.

“It’s a blessing to be in this position to control my own destiny as an independent artist,” NE-YO tells Billboard. “My artistry means everything to me and I’m excited to embrace this new beginning with ‘2 Million Secrets.’ It’s a personal song that took growth to write, but I’m proud to share it with the world.”

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For his first move since the “Miss Independent” singer embarked on his independent journey, NE-YO delivers his confessional “2 Million Secrets” on Friday (June 13). He previously teased the redemptive track during his Tiny Desk concert in April.

“This song took a little bit of growth on my part to even write, and even more to sing. This song is basically about owning your s— … Nobody is above mistakes, nobody is above redemption. You do better and you keep pushing,” he said last month. “This song is not a song, this song is a confession.”

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“2 Million Secrets” and all of NE-YO’s releases for the foreseeable future will come via the Las Vegas native’s Compound Entertainment imprint. A self-directed visual for the vulnerable Hitmaka-produced single is set to arrive at 12 p.m. ET on Friday as well.

NE-YO will head home this summer to a sizzling Sin City for his Human Rebellion Residency, where he’ll perform inside the Encore Theater at Wynn Las Vegas on Aug. 7, Aug. 9, and Aug. 10.

Listen to “2 Million Secrets” below.